Hydraulic internal line-up clamp



NovQZ, 1948. H. c; PRICE ETAL HYDRAULIC INTERNAL LINE-UP CLAM? 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 'Filed July 12, 1945 INVENTOR Nov. 2, 1948 H. c. PRICE ETAL HYDRAULIC INTERNAL LINE-UP CLAMP Filed July 12, 1945 ,s- SheetsFSheet 2 INVENTOR H.-C. PRICE BY B. l f v ORNEY 1943- H. c. PRICE rrrAL v HYDRAULIC INTERNAL LINE-UP CLAMP 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 12, 1945 v sws \w INVENTOR H C. PRICE.

L IOTT Patented Nov. 2, 1948 2,452,867 HYDRAULIC INTERNAL LINE -:U2P @CLA'MP Harold 'C. Price and Ber ville, kla., assign'or to H. C. Price 00., B

poration of California Application July 12,, 1945, Serial No. 04,586

2 Claims.

I The present invention relates to means used in pipe Welding operations wherein pipe sections are butt welded, and more particularly to an internal clamp for lining up the pipe sections prior to the welding operation. The present invention constitutes an improvement over our copending application for Hydraulic internal lineup clamp, Serial No. 553,948, filed September I3, 1944 I which has issued into Patent Number 2,408,255.

In our co-pending application referred to above, we have described a line-up clamp having a hydraulically operated split clamping ring and a similarly operated jack associated therewith, the jack serving to support the ring for the clamping operation. The present device operates in the same general manner as described above, but presents numerous structural improvements resulting in a more simplified construction, a device easier to operate, and one that is more positive in its primary function of lining up the two ends of adjacent pipes to be butt welded.

The present invention, in addition to improving numerous details of construction disclosed in our prior application, presents novel means for properly positioning the line-up clamp with respect to the end of a pipe section to be welded.

The numerous advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the .following detailed description taken in conjunction with th accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational View oi? the novel line-up clamp forming the subject matter of the present invention, positioned at one end of a pipe section shown in longitudinal section, with the expanding ring shown in retracted position;

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the clamp positioned within a pair of abutting pipe sections, shown in section in position to be welded, the expanding ring being shown in its expanded position;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the clamp taken on the line 3-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the hydraulic pump; and

Figure 6 is a plan view thereof.

Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, numerals Ill and II designate a pair of abutting pipe sections adapted to be aligned and held in position by the novel internal clamp 52 forming the subject matter of the present invention, whereby a nard 'V."Elliott, vBar'tlesby mesne assignments, artlesville, "Okla, a corperipheral weld may be applied at l3 to unite said pipe sections.

The clamp 12 comprises a, split clampingring Hi, 2. Jack 15 and theoperating mechanism 116. Referring to Figure 2, the split clamping ring "it is made up of three disc sections ill. l3 and it. Section 11 carries the operating mechanism it and .is immovable with respect to the pipe sections after the clamp is in final position. .A pair of stationary guide members 2i! and 2! are mounted .on the lower .section Fl .and cooperate with guide .portionsiormedin the movable disc sections i8 and 49. Each of the sections Land t9 .have .fastened thereto .a cylinder .22, cooperating with .a piston 23 .-.mounted.on the stationary disc ll. ..A plurality .of spring members 21! secured to sections d1, 18 and 190:1 opposite sides of said sections serve to retract the clamping ring upon release of the operating mechanism. The :above structure is substantially the same as the structure described in our co-pending appli cationan-d forms no part of the present concept.

jack 15 -.of :the ;ipr.esent-.-invention is provided with :a reciprocating cylinder .25 terminating in a head 2% adapted x "engage 'the surface :of the pipe. A stationary piston .21? for reciprocating :the cylinder is 21L .unted on rthfi clamping 7meirrher.. of am members 28 serve to retract athecylinder :upon release of the operating medium.

Referring :to Figures 515 and 26, the :operating mechanism it is in the form of an .ilrydrauli'c pump mounted ion a supponting frame as, resting on the bottom of pipe section Hi. The pump consists of a pair of cylinders 38 and Bi mounted above each other, the lower cylinder supplying the fluid for operating the expanding sections of the split ring and the upper cylinder supplying the fluid for operating the jack. The upper cylinder is provided with a nipple 32 to which a. line 33 is connected to piston 21, as seen in Figure 2. Cylinder 30 is provided with a pair of nipples 3B and 35, to which lines 36 and 31 are connected for supplying fluid to pistons 23.

As seen in Figure 5, a piston 38 is slidably mounted in cylinder 35 and is reciprocated by a threaded shaft 39 mounted in housing 46 secured to the frame. The outer end of the shaft 39 is provided with a square portion M for a purpose to be described. The outer end of cylinder 3! is provided with a removable threaded cap member 62 which can be removed to supply the cylinder with fluid.

The lower cylinder 39 is also provided with a threaded cap member 43 for supplying fluid to said cylinder. It will be noted that the outer ends of cylinders 30 and 3| extend through the stationary plate l! resulting in a more rigid con struction. Cylinder 30 is provided with a reciprocating piston i t operated by a threaded shaft 45, the outer end of which extends through the frame 29 and has a gear member 46 secured thereto by means of a screw 41.

The operating mechanism consists of a shaft having a handle 49 at one end and a socket portion 5i. at the other end thereof. A stop member 5i is mounted on the shaft 48 within the housing 49 and a gear 52 mounted on the shaft lying outside the housing ii The stop 5! and the gear 52 are so mounted with respect to the shaft :33 that when the shaft is moved to the right until the stop 5! engages the vertical wall 53, the end ii of shaft 39 will be disengaged from the socket 5G and the gear 52 will mesh with gear 46.

Thus it will be seen that a simplified arrangement has been provided whereby a single han-- dle may selectively operate either cylinder. In the forward position of the shaft 48, rotation of the handle 49 will rotate shaft 39, moving piston 38 forward, thereby supplying fluid to line 33,'

causing the jack to bear against the pipe section to hold the clamp in position for further operation. The shaft 58 is then moved rearwardly until the stop 5! strikes the wall member 53. In this position, rotation of the handle will move piston M, thereby supplying fluid to lines 35 and 31, causing the disc sections it! and 19 to move outwardly into contact with the inner surface of the pipe section. In order to enable easy manipulation and insertion of the mechanism within the pipe, rollers M are mounted on the disc section Ii.

Thus it will be seen that the construction herein shown and described is well adapted to accomplish the objects of the invention. It will be understood, however, that the invention may be embodied otherwise than here shown and that in the form illustrated, certain minor changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, we do not wish to be limited precisely to the construction herein shown except as may be required by the appended claims considered with reference to the prior art.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An internal line-up aclamp comprising a supporting frame member, a stationary ring section rigidly mounted on said frame member, a movable ring section carried by said stationary ring section, hydraulic means on said stationary ring section for moving said movable ring section outwardly, a hydraulic jack carried by said frame member, a pump mounted on said frame member, said pump comprising a fluid cylinder connected to the jack hydraulic means, a second fluid cylinder connected to the ring section hydraulic means, a piston within each of the cylinders, a threaded shaft mounted on each" piston, and a longitudinally movable shaft carried by said frame, said shaft being movable inwardly to engage and operate one of said threaded shafts, and movable outwardly to engage and operate the other of said threaded shafts.

2. An internal line-up clamp comp-rising a supporting frame member, a stationary ring section rigidly mounted on said frame member, a movable ring section carried by said stationary ring section, hydraulic means on said stationary ring section for moving said movable ring section outwardly, a hydraulic jack carried by said fram member, a pump mounted on said frame member, said pump comprising a fluid cylinder connected to the jack hydraulic means, a second fluid cylinder connected to the ring section hydraulic means, piston within each of the cylinders, a threaded shaft mounted on each piston, a longitudinally movable shaft carried by said frame, said shaft being movable inwardly to engage and operate one of said threaded shafts, and movable outwardly to engage and operate the other of said threaded shafts, and means carried by said longitudinally movable shaft to properly position said shaft with respect to each of the threaded shafts.

HAROLD C. PRICE.

BERNARD V. ELLIOTT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,623,405 Gocke et a1 Apr. 5, 1927 1,642,825 Pearce Sept. 20, 1927 1,980,419 Martin et al Nov. 13, 1934 2,035,328 McCollum Mar. 24, 1936 2,408,255 Elliott et al Sept. 24, 1946 

